Amare at Odium
by Calette
Summary: It's year five at Hogwarts, and things are changing. Friendships will be tested, loves will be found, and of course, adventures will happen.
1. A simple game of Quidditch

Amare et Odium

**Amare et Odium**

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**Alllllrighteo people! **This, is a big one. My biggest fic yet. Sorry for this chapter being so short, they will get longer. Feedback, comments, and yes, even flames are welcome. All those make my world go round and round and round! :) Seeing as to how all my other fics got WAY more hits then reviews, I am asking every person who reads this to review. That little box waaay down there isn't there for nothing! So take time out of your day, to make mine. Thank you! Who knows…you may even be mentioned if you do…

Disclaimer: I own diddly squat. Nothing. Do you hear me? ABSOOLUTLY NOTHING!!!!!! And this disclaimer will count for all the other chapters, so I don't need to repeat it over and over…unless there's some rule that says you have to. I think I'll get on to the story now.

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Draco Malfoy soared high above the crowds, looking for any signs of the snitch. Below him, his Slytherin teammates battled it out with the Ravenclaw team, each side trying to get ahold of the Quaffle. Bludgers were flying everywhere, hitting anyone foolish enough to get in their way. 

Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker flew around near Draco, trying to spot the Golden Snitch as well, which would earn 150 points to the team who's seeker caught it first. 

The score was very close, 90-80, for Ravenclaw. The snitch hadn't been spotted at all during the game, and with the battling going on between the two teams, it wasn't likely Draco would see it anytime soon. It was a bloody battle down there, balls and broomsticks everywhere, everything moving too fast to be seen. 

One of the Ravenclaw beaters hit a Bludger towards him, Draco just barely got out of its way, the black ball ruffled his hair up as it went over his head. The crowd below gasped. Mutterings could be heard, some were quite disappointed that the Bludger didn't hit him on the head. 

Lee Jordan made some statement about the Bludger almost hitting him, and then voiced his opinion that it should have, but Draco didn't really pay attention to the announcer. Lee, although a pureblood, was a mudblood lover, and therefore wasn't worth Draco's attention. What did he care about some idiot that hung out with filth like that? Draco turned his attention back to the game, a Ravenclaw chaser had just scored, making the score 100-80. Draco had to find that snitch, and fast, before they could score any more goals.

Ron Weasly shouted out in frustration as the Bludger passed by Malfoy without even touching him. Fellow Gryffindors around roared in disappointment. "Ah come on you git!" He yelled "You must have better aim then that! The thing missed him by a mile!" Ron slumped back down. "Seriously though… I was _that _close to seeing the 'great' Malfoy, Pride of Slytherin, knocked off his broomstick…"

"Well it didn't knock him off Ron, so get over it." Hermione Granger said matter-of-factly. 

"Oh come off it Herm," Ron started "You wanted to see him lying flattened on the ground as much as I did." he teased her, a big grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Well…" Ron's grin was infectious, she was trying not to smile, but a grin was slowly working its way through. She looked away and instead directed her attention back at the two teams battling each other on the field.

"Admit it Herm," Harry Potter started teasing her, his 'toad green eyes' [as Ginny had put it in their second year] alight with mischief. "You want to see him go flying into the air then splat-" He made a motion with his hands. "Draco Malfoy is flatter then-"

"Hagrid 's biscuits!" Ron shouted. The three burst out laughing.

High above, somehow, Draco could make out Potter and his little 'fan club', as he liked to put it, laughing hysterically over something. '_Bet their laughing at me'_ he thought bitterly. '_Honestly, I don't know why people hang around him. He's famous for something that he didn't do-its only because of his mother that the curse rebounded. If you ask me, he's just taking advantage of all the glory. I'll show him though…I show every last one of them that I'm better then 'The boy who lived''._ Draco's train of thought was interrupted by a streak of gold catching his eye. It was heading for the crowd, right where Potter was. Draco grinned and headed for them at full speed. The snitch moved close to the crowd, making it hard for Draco to catch it. People screamed and moved away from him, but it made no difference. He blocked out the screams, focusing only on the snitch. He could see Granger standing up to see what was going on. The snitch stopped, hovering right above her head.

"Look at that people! Havn't I always said that all Slytheirns were insane and deserved to be in St. Mungos?" Lee Jordan said in his usual cocky tone. "Just look at it, Draco Malfoy terrorizing the crowd and-what? Is that the snitch?" The crowd looked at the speeding Draco, hurtling towards Hermione at an alarming rate. She didn't see him coming, her back was turned, looking at the crowd for the snitch. Almost there…almost got it… as Draco's fingers closed around the tiny fluttering ball he crashed into Hermione, falling into the crowd below. Pandemonium broke loose, screams could be heard. Madame Hooch quickly made her way through the crowd.

"Has he got it? Has he got the snitch?" She demanded, pushing people aside. Madame Hooch finally made her way through and knelt over Malfoy. He held up the snitch weakly, all the air was knocked out of him. The news slowly made it's way through the crowd, _Malfoy got the snitch. Slytherin won…they beat Ravenclaw._ This was almost impossible to believe, next to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw was the best team. And they _lost_ to Slytherin. Slowly, as the realization of this sunk in, people began muttering. The Slytherins whooped and hollered, this was a victory they had been long awaiting. Madame Hooch, now turned her attention back to Draco.

"Are you all right boy?" she asked, noting the cut he got above his left eye. "That was a pretty nasty fall you took."

"Yes, I am, all I got was this cut. I landed in something soft and that broke my fall." Draco looked underneath him to see what it was. Mildly amused, he found Hermione the Mudblood lying under him, flat out cold.

"You knocked her out you prat!" Ron said, struggling to free himself from Harry so he could take a swipe at Draco. 

"_He's not worth it._" Harry muttered in Ron's ear, and he relented. "Yeah, well, at least could he get off Hermione?" Ron said, furious that he just lost his chance of beating the slimy git to a pulp. 

Madame Hooch helped Draco up and off an unconscious Hermione girl. Ignoring the deadly stares thrown at him by the Gryffindor students, he grabbed his [thankfully intact] Nimbus 2001 and lifted off into the air. He flew over to his teammates, who congratulated him on a terrific catch. The team captain, the beater from last year told him to keep up the good work and walked off. A couple of Slytherins who had seen him crash congratulated him on getting the snitch and the mudblood at the same time. Draco laughed with the rest of them. But…in the back of his mind, a tiny voice pointed out that nobody even asked if he was all right… not that it bothered him. He shook his head, '_What was I thinking?' _He thought. Head held high, he walked proudly back to towards school. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the weasel and Potter helping Granger to the infirmary, and for a moment, one tiny, brief, miniscule moment that even he didn't notice, he envied her. Flashing a look of pure hatred towards her, he walked back to the warmth of the castle.

Sooooo….that was the first chapter! The one that kicks everything off! I'll take the time right now to thank my two _phenomenal_ beta readers, this story would not be possible without you, Starrysign and Caitlyn Allana. Check out her story _Harry Potter and the Cave of UNADAX_, it's positively spiffy. Rapotoriffic, as the Citizen would say. Also my mom, who scrutinized every chapter as well. She's harder on me then my beta's, so I figure she deserves a mention.

Anyways, now comes the part where I kindly request that now, since you have read the story, that you review it. Reviews not only make my day, they keep this fic alive, and seeing as to how there's a…well…I can't say. So please, review. You might even be mentioned and even ***gasp*** thanked in a future chapter!

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	2. Multiple Problems

Amare et Odium

**Amare et Odium**

**'Multiple Problems'**

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Why _hello_ again.

This, as you may see, is the second chapter. Not much to say about it that won't give it away, so I'll be quiet now. I apologize again for the length of the chapter, they will get longer, I _swear_.

Disclaimer: I have to say this, because I don't want FF.N to get the idea that a certain line [_yes Granger, from my own house_] is mine. Just a precautionary. I figured that would really go in well there so put it in. _But I got the it from the books_, can't remember which one though. Anything in here isn't mine, except for the headache potion. And squabits. Wellll…those actually belong to Matti, but he said I could borrow them, just as long as they're in by dinner. I'll let you read now.

The next day Hermione woke up with a splitting headache. As the memory of yesterday's events - the Quidditch game, Malfoy crashing into her to get the snitch - she groaned, and forced herself out of bed. Looking around, Hermione found herself in the infirmary. She vaguely remembered Ron and Harry carrying her, but it all seemed so vague... Shaking her head she started getting dressed. As soon as her robe was over her eyes, Madame Pomfry came into sight.

"So, are you finally up?" Madame Pomfry said, slightly miffed for some reason.

"Yes, how long have I been out for?" Hermione said, clutching her head. It was throbbing with pain, wincing, she sat back down.

"Well, when your friends brought you in after last night's Quidditch game, you were only semi conscious. You fell asleep soon after that." Madame Pomfry made a sort of clicking noise "_Honestly_, it's such a dangerous sport. After every game there's always students coming in and out with cuts and scrapes and bruises," she said while preparing a potion " It's much too dangerous a game for students to be playing… do you know I've had more people come in here because of Quidditch-related injuries then anything else! It's mad! Utterly, utterly mad!" The potion appeared to be ready, whatever it was. Madame Pomfry poured it into a goblet and handed it to Hermione to drink.

"Umm, what exactly is this anyways?" Hermione asked, looking down at the purple swirling contents of the cup.

"It's a Headache Potion. For goodness sake, hasn't Severus taught you magical remedies yet?" Hermione shook her head, Madame Pomfry looked as if she was going to hunt down that greasy haired Head of Slytherin herself. "You're a fifth year right? Well then, I'll give you a tip. He'll be teaching it this year…or at least he should be. Personally, I think he should have done it sooner. It's never too early to learn magical remedies. Now drink it up." 

Madame Pomfry motioned to the goblet that was still in Hermione's hands, full to the brim. Hermione brought it up to her lips, taking a sniff. It smelled a bit like jasmine, the flowery scent alleviating her pain a bit.Tilting the goblet back, she drank the potion. 

Contrary to its scent, it had a rich, nutty taste. The liquid was thin, and slid down her throat easily. As she drank it back, her headache faded away, until it was gone completely.

"Did you drink it all?" Madame Pomfry asked, looking into the goblet. "Good. Now run off to breakfast, I don't see any reason to keep you here." She shooed Hermione out of the infirmary and went to look at a first year who had tripped on an invisible stair coming down. Her stomach protesting the lack of food in it, she hurried off to breakfast.

Upon her arrival, Harry and Ron saw her and waved at her to come over. They had saved her a seat and some food. A croissant, Pumpkin juice and pancakes awaited her arrival when she sat down. Saying a brief 'hello' to everyone, she dug in. The potion made her feel very hungry. 

"Hello Hermione." Harry said. "How are ya' feeling? You were really out of it yesterday."

"I'm fine. Madame Pomfry treated me and gave me a potion for my headache, so I have nothing to complain about." Hermione said, taking a breather between bites.

"Are you sure? Malfoy hit you pretty hard. You kept muttering about 'squabits' and stars and stuff." 

"Yeah, which reminds me Hermione," Ron said, who was in the middle of a long debate with Dean why football was so boring. "What exactly _are_ squabits anyways?"

"Hmmm…" Hermione paused to think. "I don't remember. I'll look it up in one of my books. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm just worried that its some poisonous fanged thing and that you overheard Hagrid talking about using it in class." Ron shuddered. "Don't get me wrong, Hagrid's the best. It's just that his taste in animals is a bit…"

"Peculiar?" Hermione offered.

"Strange?" added Harry.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of that he should be institutionalized in St. Mungos for that reason but yeah, those work too." Ron and everybody laughed. They all knew he was just joking, that he didn't mean it. However, a voice behind them cut through the laughter.

"So, you Gryffindors actually have some common sense in you." It was Malfoy, flanked by his two silent henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. "I'm glad you see that that pitful excuse for a teacher and a human being – no, wait, I forgot he's nothing but a savage _giant._" He said the last word as if Hagrid was nothing more then a flea to be swatted, hardly worth living. Anyone who had heard him at the Gryffindor table swivled their heads to see what was going on. Ron, Harry and Hermione stood up. 

"_What did you just say? _Harry said in a low, dangerous tone that mothers use on children who misbehave.

"You heard me, _Potter._ Your…_friend_ is nothing but a savage, wild, uncivilized beast that should have been left in Azkaban where he, and others of his kind belong!" Ron and Harry whipped out their wands to curse, only to be beaten to it by Hermione.

" _EXTRIMIDIUS MULTIPLICUS!"_ she roared just at the same time Malfoy yelled a curse. He was hit full force by Hermione's curse, his head, arms, legs and fingers multiplying. Harry was hit by Malfoy's curse, turning his hair orange and his skin green. 

Professor McGonagall, who had seen the whole thing, marched right over and grabbed Hermione by the shoulder and one of Malfoy's many arms and led them out into the hall. Once there she turned them both to face her and talked in the same low, dangerous tone Harry was using only a minute ago.

"I cannot _believe_ what I just saw. Mister Malfoy, this kind of behavior I have come to expect from you, but _you _Miss Granger…you…I am severely disappointed in your behavior. I have come to expect more from you. You two are both fifth years for heavens sake! You're supposed to set an example for the rest of the school! Though you may not know it sometimes, but the younger students actually look up to you! And what are they going to see now? A couple of hooligans?" Hermione hung her head low in shame, Malfoy and his many heads just looked away from the icy glare of the professor. Father wasn't going to be happy about this…his main head, the original one, turned back to McGonagall and paid attention to what she was saying. 

"_Fifty_ points from each of your houses, and yes Granger, from my own house, and you both have detention. Come back to the Great Hall tonight at seven. Mr. Filtch will serve your detentions. Now go. And Mister Malfoy, head up to the infirmary to have those extra heads and such removed…its …unnerving having all those eyes staring at me…" 

Professor McGonagall walked off in the general direction of her office. Once he made sure she was gone, out of sight, Malfoy grabbed Hermione, and with his 20 hands holding on to her, she couldn't get away.

"Let go of me!" she said, twisting, trying to escape his grasp. He just pulled her in tight, so she could hear what he had to say.

"Listen, you little mudblood, and that's all you are. A mudblood. You. Are. Beneath. Me." He said slowly, as if speaking to a little child. "You have no idea of the power me and my family wield. You made me look like a fool in front of everyone, and I will make sure you regret that. I will not forget that. And one way or another, I _will_ have my revenge. So go on. Go back to your little Gryffindor friends. Strut around. Laugh at the image of the big, bad Draco Liam Malfoy with about a dozen arms and heads and legs while you can. Cause I have a few surprises up my sleeve. And when you're alone, when your least expecting it, when your little friends aren't around to protect and watch over you, when the teachers have their back turned and there's nowhere to go…I'll be there. And that is when you'll get it. Just remember Hermione Granger, you have made an even worse enemy of me now. I'll be watching." 

He let her go and roughly pushed her aside against the wall, and walked off casually, towards the infirmary. 

Hermione was shook up, she had never seen that kind of behavior from Malfoy. His face was deadpan the entire time - except for his eyes. They flashed a cold anger that she had never seen before, and hoped never to see again. His ice blue eyes had chilled her to the very core, and the coldness in them just made it worse. Watching Malfoy saunter down the hall, she found that she was a bit afraid of him. 

Malfoy was a hothead, the anger he had always displayed before was like a fire, hot and all consuming, desiring to burn everything in its path. But right now, he showed her another side she had never seen before: the cold, cruel calculating anger. He now unpredictable, she didn't know what he would do…and it scared her. 

Oooo, a side of him we have never seen before! What will happen next! 

I would like to thank my wonderful wonderful wonderful beta's, Caitlin Allana and Starrysign. Both phenomenal. And my mother. She's harder on me with the beta'ing, so she's like my third beta and deserves recognition. Also Kim [my best friend] and her boyfriend Matti, for allowing me the use of squabits, or at least coming up with them. We use them all the time.

Like before, I ask that if you've read this, could you review the story too? I welcome anything, flames included. They all make my day…so get to it! ;)


	3. Detention is best served cold.

Amare et Odium

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**Amare et Odium**

**'Detention is best served cold'**

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Told you the chapters would get bigger. This is the longest chapter yet, [seeing how there's only 3…] but more will come soon. I actually aim to finish this, and I will!

Disclaimers: See other chapters. 

Distribution [just in case]: Just ask, and ye shall receive.

Just as Professor McGonagall ordered, Draco and Hermione were in the Great Hall promptly at seven, waiting for Mr. Filtch. They were both thinking back on the events of the day, and what had happened since breakfast…

Hermione had spent the whole day basking in the attention of her fellow Gryffindors. They hadn't minded that she had lost 50 points, it was only a small dent in their hourglass and they were still in lead anyways. All day long students from other houses stopped to congratulate her about what had happened at breakfast, laughing at the image of Malfoy with 20 arms, 10 heads and 8 legs. Hermione pretended to laugh along with them, but inside she was a bit worried. She was going to be alone with him tonight, would he try something? Hermione patted her pocket reassuringly, to make sure for the umpteenth time that her wand was there, just in case she needed it to cast a counter curse or something.

Malfoy, on the other hand, was fuming. All day long he had to endure taunts from Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, but the worst of all was the Gryffindors. "I guess you really prove that 10 heads are better then one Malfoy." "You should have kept the extra heads, you need the extra brainpower" He was going to get that mudblood back, even if it was the last thing he ever did. Not even all the pranks Potter and Weasly had pulled on him could compare to this. There was just one little hitch. He had no idea how. Oh well, when the opportunity presented itself he would know how. That was his philosophy in life. Just take it as it comes and get them back later when possible. And that philosophy had proven useful time and time again. His father had taught him it. His father had taught him a lot of things. Most people thought he was a cruel and heartless bastard, and that Draco must live in a loveless and abusive home, but it wasn't true. Sure, his father's punishments might seem _unconventional_ to some, but Draco knew that whatever happened, his father loved him, and only wanted the best for his son. Thinking back on all the times he sat on his father's lap as a child, his father reading out fantastic stories of old, with hero's and monsters and great fantastic battles, always ending with the young handsome pureblood wizard defeating the wicked mudblood and rescuing the damsel in distress who was being held against her will to marry an ugly old bastard. Draco would go to bed, dreaming of being that young handsome pureblood, with someone to love, to cherish, and to protect against the evils of the muggle world, and his father and mother would come in and kiss him goodnight, tucking him in. A small smile crept onto his face as he thought of the happy days gone by, before he came to Hogwarts, before he had to concern himself with matters such as these. He didn't notice Mr. Filtch there until Mrs. Norris rubbed up against his legs.

"So…" Mr. Filtch said, bringing his face close to Draco and Hermione's, his eyes going over their faces, inspecting every inch.

"So what?" Malfoy said. He had never really liked Mr. Filtch and wasn't afraid to show it.

"Don't talk that way to me you little delinquent! You're here because you screwed up royally, and now you have to pay the piper. Hold out your wands." He demanded. Hermione and Draco brought out their wands, unsure of what to expect. Mr. Filtch looked at them, and then the wands, and then snatched the wands right out of their hands!

"What the-! Give me back my wand!" said Malfoy. He was enraged. The nerve of this simple servant, taking **his** wand from him.

"I'll give you back yer wands when you two have finished cleaning Professor Snape's classroom! Without magic! I'm sure you both were there when the 'little' accident happened earlier on today?" They both nodded. Nelville had blown up the classroom [yet again] and everything was covered in goop and god knows what else. "Well, I want that classroom clean, even if it takes you all night! Now come on, follow me, I'll take yeh there myself. Don't want either of you two running off…" He looked at them suspiciously, as he leaded them to the dungeons.

Back in the Gryffindor classroom, Fred and George were resting comfortably, bored out of their minds. It had been a relatively slow week for them. Only minor havoc was wrecked, and anything they had done was overshadowed by Hermione's curse on Malfoy…not that that wasn't funny. It was. It's just when you have a reputation to protect, you have to beat the competition. And that little stunt by far beat anything they had ever done.

"So, what are we going to do now Fred?" George asked. "We don't have anything in stock that could come up with a reaction like the Multiple Body Parts curse. And now, people are proably are going to be going to Hermione for curses and hexes and such, instead of coming to us for jokes and gags." He sat up and rested his elbows on his legs, and his head on his hands.

"Don't be silly Georgie Porgie, that'll never happen." Fred sat back, putting his hands behind his head. "Hermione may be smart, but we're the ones with a sense of humor."

"Ya? You think it's just as easy as that? That _Weasly's Wizard Wheezes _is secure? I overheard Rose Burrette, you know, the girl who ordered 50 Canary Creams and 20 Ton-Tongue toffee's telling Colin Creevy that she was going to pull back her order and just ask Hermione for some curses! People are going to take her idea, we'll be out of business before we even started!" George was frantic with worry, his eyes wide with the fear of losing their business.

"Hmm…that is a problem Porgie…we don't want people doing that." Fred struck a thoughtful pose, then snapped his fingers. "I've got it."

"What?"

"You see George, the problem is, that before, we were the one's who made all the pranks. _We_ were the ones who pulled the outrageous –and hilarious I might add- stunts. But Hermione exceeded anything prank we have ever pulled when she put that curse on Malfoy. And the only way to solve that is-"

"To create a better prank!" George whispered loudly, finally catching on.

"Yes, to build a better mousetrap so to speak. What we need to do is to create a prank never before seen****in Hogwarts, one so outrageous, so creative and original, it surpasses anything that anyone- even the legendary Marauders, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs- has ever come up with." Said Fred, leaning forward.

"Is that even possible?" George whispered, his face alight with the sheer brilliance of the idea.

"I never said it was easy, but I believe it can be done." Fred pulled George in close, putting his arm around George's shoulder. "Just imagine what would happen if we pulled it off! We'll be legends! We'll go down in Hogwarts history! We, will have surpassed anything else ever done here, and be remembered for it. Think about it, students in the future, looking up to us as we look up to the Marauders" George's eyes really widened at this. To be compared to the greats…that was too much. It would never happen.Fred, seeing the doubt in his twin brother's eyes twisted him so George faced him. "Trust. Me.It'll work."

"So, let me get this straight. You're suggesting that we come up with something more wild, more spectacular, more creative then the Marauders? And not get expelled." George's face was doubtful.

"Exactly."

George pondered this for a moment, and then a wicked smile crept across his face. "So, when do we start?"

Right from the start Hermione knew this was going to be a long detention session. As soon as Mr. Filtch left Malfoy stated that he wouldn't touch any of 'that green muck' and Hermione may very well clean it up herself, and then tried to leave. He had reverted back to his normal self, the anger she had seen that morning must have at least cooled off a bit, so Hermione wasn't so scared of him anymore. She had time to think about that for a while, and came to the conclusion that he was just full of hot air. And besides, if he ever did try anything, she could defend herself. Not only with wands and spells, but with fists and feet too. She had taken plenty of defense classes at her local community center, and if it came right down to it, she probably could fight better then Malfoy. Smiling, she picked up another handful of goop and threw it into the center of the class. 

After he had tried to leave Hermione caught him by the arm and told him that if he left, she would not only tell Filtch, but Professor McGonagall too. Draco, obviously realizing the consequences would be worse for him if the old teacher found out he had skipped out on detention he stayed and grudgingly helped. They had decided to get all the solids in the middle of the class, and then clean up the residue. Both worked silently for the better part of three hours, scraping the goop from every crack and corner, making sure not to leave any behind. Draco had a scowl on his face the entire time; he wasn't accustomed to cleaning other people's messes. 

Hermione however, didn't really mind. She had to do similar things when she was at home, like the time when she was eight and tried to make a cake with her then best friend Jennie. It ended up with the both of them yelling at each other, throwing flour, eggs and cake ingredients all over the kitchen. When her mother had come home Jennie bolted out the back door for home, leaving Hermione to take the blame. She had to clean every inch of that kitchen, including behind the refrigerator, which is how she found her mother's wedding ring, which Mrs. Granger had lost months before, and a dead mouse. Bringing her mind back to present, she threw another handful of goop onto the pile. Something hit her in the back of her head. She turned her head only to be hit in the face by a handful of goop by Draco.

"Oops," He sneered "guess I missed."

"What the bloody hell was that for!" screeched Hermione.

"I aimed for the pile and missed." Malfoy said, taking another handful of goop, and actually throwing it to the center where all the other goop was.

"The pile is all the way over there, and I am here! How could you miss! Your closer then I am!"

"I have bad aim."

"You did that on purpose!"

"So what if I did, not like there's any way you can prove it." Malfoy said non-chalantly, stopping work and sitting on a goop free desk, smirking at Hermione. That smile just infuriated her more it got on her nerves. "My my my, you should calm down mudblood. See, that's your problem. You're too uptight. You walk around like you have a stick up your arse." He said smugly. 

"I do not!" Hermione was even more outraged. The nerve of this little….

"Yes you do. You take everything so seriously. Honestly, everybody knows about how you freaked out because you weren't good at Divination and quit. You quit if you're not automatically good at it." Malfoy just stared at her, smiling that little annoying smile of his.

"So what if I take things a little seriously?"

"Simple, you have no fun in life. All you do is study. And you have the occasional tete-a-tete with those friends of yours, but I'm willing to bet that every day you just go back to the same corner you probably always sit in, spread your books out in front of you and study. Every day, day in, day out."

"I do other things in my life other then studying!" said Hermione angrily.

"Sure, you probably do. But you more then likely spend a good portion of your activities on academic pursuits. I'm right, aren't I?"

Hermione turned back to the goop, throwing more on the pile. "See, I am right. You're ignoring me, trying to block out my words, because they tell the truth. Admit it. Your nothing but a stick in the mud." 

"And so what if you are? So what if I study a lot? It's not like I'm a hermit or anything. I still socialize, I maintain a healthy balance between my social life and my academic one. I'm happy." Hermione said as she scooped more goop onto the pile.

"No, you're content, but not happy."

"There's not much of a difference."

"Actually, there is. Happy is when your fulfilled. You don't need anything. But when you're content, there's something missing. That one tiny thing that prevents you from achieving happiness. You feel like there's something missing. And I'm willing to bet that whatever it is, it eats you up inside. Tears you apart, because something's missing and you don't know the answer. So you bury yourself in books, trying to find out what it is. But you never do." He slid off the table and got back to work. "Funny."

"What?" Hermione snapped.

"Looks to me that the girl who appears to have everything – friends who care, a loving family, good grades …really has nothing."

They were both silent after that. Hermione was thinking about Malfoy's words, and how much they made sense. For a while now, she had been discontented, although she didn't know why. Now she realized something was missing from her life. The thought made her very sad, she thought she had everything she needed. Seeing that all the goop was gone, she worked on cleaning up the residue.

Draco looked over at Hermione, and upon seeing her sad face, silently rejoiced. He had told her he would get her back, and looks like he did. The best thing you could ever do to a person was to attack them from the inside, that affected them more then any hex or curse. He went back to his work, cleaning up residue, silently cheering inside.

It was midnight when they finally finished. Mr. Filtch came, and when seeing that the entire classroom was clean, told them gruffly to get to their dorms, he didn't want any students out after hours if there was no point. He saw to it that they left in the appropriate direction, mumbling about mischievous students messing up his precious hallways. After seeing that they weren't likely to deviate and go directly to their dorms, he left them be. Hermione walked slowly, dragging her feet on the ground. She reached the Fat Lady, saying the password [maelstrom], and entered the Gryffindor common room, where Ron and Harry were waiting to hear all about her detention. 

Draco walked around, but in the dim light of the dungeons, he wasn't able to find his way to the trapdoor that would let him into the Slytherin common room. He could have sworn he saw it a minute ago…oh well. He was still rejoicing over his victory earlier on Hermione. Ha ha ha, that really was a good one. Now she was depressed, and would proably be unable to concentrate on anything, accept on what he told her. He was even surprised at the words that had flew out of his mouth, he just made them up as he went along, making it sound real. But he felt a quick twang of regret over making her feel that way. He really shouldn't have…no, wait. What the hell was he saying? Of course he should have! She made a bloody fool out of him! She deserved whatever she felt. 

So caught up in his self righteous thoughts, he didn't notice Hermione and crashed into her.

"What the…what are _you_ doing here?" he asked, picking himself up.

"I couldn't sleep. So I decided to take a walk."

"In the dungeons?"

"Yes, in the dungeons, what's wrong with that?" Hermione challenged him.

"Nothing. Just never thought I'd find you here at night." Draco said. Hermione turned to walk away when Draco stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"I'm walking, like I said I was doing." Hermione looked at Draco strangly.

"What?" He didn't like her staring at him like that.

"Nothing." An even stranger look from her. Ooo, she was really making him mad.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"I'm not looking at you in any particular way that I have never looked at you before." Now she was just confusing him…

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Confusing me!"

"Not my fault if I confuse you Draco…" she smirked.

"You're being indignant!"

"Ooo, big word from a small mind."

"I do not have a small mind!"

"Yes you do."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"  
  
"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

At this point they were standing close, Draco looking down at the only slightly shorter Hermione, both of them trying to get in the other's face, to intimidate. Then, all of a sudden, they both grabbed each other, kissing, exploring each other's mouth with their tongues. Draco was losing himself in Hermione, her sensuous touch, the taste of her mouth, the smell and feel of her hair. Hermione let out a small moan of pleasure as they moved to the floor…

Then Draco awoke, covered in sweat. Crabbe and Goyle were sleeping in the beds next to him. He remembered his dream, and what had happened in it, and realized what this meant.

"Oh dear God no."

WOW! Who expected that to happen! Well, I willing to bet some people were, but still. I have to make this quick, because I have to be somewhere soon, so I'll get right to it.

Many many many thanks go to my beta's, Starrysign and Caitlin Allana. Nothing would be possible without their unconditional support and motivation! ::::giant squabit hugs to you both::: And my mother. This wouldn't be possible without her either, because without her, I wouldn't be here! Words cannot express enough how much I thank you all. I also thank Matti and Kim, just cause.

As always, if you have read this chapter, please kindly review, flame or whatever it. It's allll appreciated. You might even get a mention! [hehehe, bribes….always with the bribes…]


	4. Denial is a river in Egypt

Amare at Odium

**Amare at Odium**

**'Denial is a river in Egypt'******

** **

Heeellllloooo everybody! I'm going to make this short, and just say a few things:

A] My beta's are THE BEST! I swear…if it weren't for their support and love, I would never have gotten this chapter out this fast, [if you can say that was fast]. I just felt I should mention this. Thank you _so_ much guys!

B] I own diddly squat. That means nothing. The only thing I own is the plot. I'm just playing with the characters, but I promise to have them in by Dinner. Except Draco, he's coming home with me! [fun fun fun!]

C] I hope you all get the title…

D] And now for tonight's program…

~*~*~*~*~

** **

Draco got up and out of bed, pacing back and forth. No, this simply could _not_ be true. He ran his fingers through his white-blonde hair, trying to make sense of his muddled thoughts. Muddled…muggle…muggle born…Hermione! Everywhere he looked, everything he thought or said somehow led back to that – that girl! Ok…ok…he was going to get through this. This had be a result of teenage hormones, that's all. He just had to get his mind off _her._

Looking at the clock on his bedside table he saw that it was five in the morning. Long before anyone would be up. Draco headed to his drawers to get dressed. Taking off the undershirt he slept in he thought of Hermione ripping it off and – no! No! He couldn't think about that! He must not think of that! Fully dressed, he walked out of the room and down the hall, heading towards the bathroom. 

When he got there, he headed straight for the sink turned on the cold water. Draco splashed the icy water on his face to wake him up and then sighed. And he used to think his life was so simple. Draco closed his eyes, thinking of home. What would Mother be doing today? Hmmm…today was Thursday, so that means that she would be having tea with the wives of his Father's friends. And Father would be getting together with his friends in his study. They would probably laugh, share jokes, drinks, cigars and stories. 

Draco remembered when he was little, and he used to be allowed in the 'sanctum sanctorium', as his father liked to put it. He would listen in on their conversations when they thought he wasn't, learning and storing away information on them and their families. He still could remember it all – Blaise Zabini's bed-wetting, Crabbe's fear of teddy bears [although that one was never explained]. 

Draco laughed, leaning against the wall. Yes those were happy times for him. He imagined himself walking up the pathway to the mansion, looking up at it. It had a gothic style to it, with towers and turrets. Draco in his mind walked up the door and opened it, letting the familiar musty scent of home hit him. He closed his eyes to see it better. There it was, right in front of him, the Malfoy family emblem. A dragon with its tail encircling a sleeping lamb. At one point in time it had stood for strength and gentleness, but now it just meant power over the weak. Leaving the tapestry, he walked to the kitchen. Mother would probably be in there; she liked to cook on occasion. Yes, there was the smell of a baking cake. Opening the door, he saw Mother standing at the far end of the kitchen, by the stove. He ran to her. Hearing his footsteps, she turned and Draco saw –

Hermione! ARGH! Even at home he could escape that little witch! Draco turned back to the sink and upon seeing it full with cold water, completely submerged his head, letting the cold water shock him back to reality. He came back up for air, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He was thoroughly pissed, at Hermione and at himself for feeling this way. Disgusted, he walked out, shaking the water from his head. Deciding not to go back to bed he went to the common room. 

To his surprise, someone was already there, sitting by the fire in one of the carved wooden chairs. Upon closer examination he found it to be Pansy Parkinson. She was asleep, clutching in her hands a book. If he squinted enough she looked like Hermione with a book in her hands and – stop! He had to stop thinking of her! But he couldn't, she was in his mind all the time. What he needed was a distraction. Seeing Pansy out of the corner of his eye, he got an idea. See, he knew about Pansy's infatuation with him, ever since their first year. But he had never really bothered with her, save for the Yule ball. And he only went with her then because he needed a date. But Pansy just might be the thing to keep his mind off that mudblood. He smiled, and moved closer. Draco gently took the book out her hand and looked at it. _Fairy Tales for the young at heart_ the title read. He used to read this as a kid. Pansy stirred awake. Noticing Draco looking down at her she sat up, fixing her hair.

"Draco, hello." She said in a bit of a flirty tone. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I had a dream." Draco sat down across from her, the crackling fire warming him up.

"Oh really? What was the dream about?"

'A girl." Seeing Pansy's reaction to this he continued. "A girl I just can't stop thinking about."

"Oh really…" Pansy's eyed sparkled. "Do you like this girl?"

"Every iota of my being just screams out to be with her." He looked Pansy in the eye giving a seductive little smile. Her breathing quickened. Draco moved a little closer. "I can't stop thinking about touching her." He raised a hand to her head. "Her hair…" He ran his fingers through the blond strands. "Her skin…" He lightly brushed his fingers across her cheek. "Her lips…" Drcao trailed his fingers across her lips. Pansy was speechless for once. Draco moved closer to Pansy, closing his eyes. Their lips met, gently kissing, then more forcefully. Draco's mind, heart and soul screamed that this was wrong, that this should be Hermione, that he shouldn't be using Pansy like this, but he shut away those feelings and kept his mind blank. For the next three hours he kept it that way until he could hear students upstairs waking up. He pulled away. Pansy's eyes remained closed for a few seconds more, and then opened to see what happened.

"What – " Pansy was scilenced by Draco.

"Shhhhh."

"But why did you stop?"

"Because I want to keep this a secret." Pansy tried to make sense of this.

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked.

"Because it'd be more fun that way, don't you think?"

Pansy grinned, and he knew he had her.

~*~*~

Hermione was up too, sitting in the Gryffindor common room. Staring at the fire, she tried to make sense of what had happened earlier at detention.

_'Happy is when your fulfilled. You don't need anything. But when you're content, there's something missing. That one tiny thing that prevents you from achieving happiness. You feel like there's something missing. And I'm willing to bet that whatever it is, it eats you up inside. Tears you apart, because missing and you don't know the answer. So you bury yourself in books, trying to find out what it is. But you never do.' _She remembered the words well. They had been running through her mind ever since she heard them. She knew they were true, Hermione had been feeling incomplete for a while now. And something _was_ missing from her life, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what! Something else had been bugging her as well. How the hell did Malfoy know so much about her? Could it possibly be that he was smarter then he looked? Oi, this was all so confusing. A voice behind startled Hermione.

"Hermione? Is that you? What are you doing up so early?" It was Harry.

"Oh hey Harry." Hermione said listlessly. "I couldn't sleep." He came over and sat down next to her.

"Hermione? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Harry. I'm fine." She said. Harry wasn't fooled one bit.

"You're lying."

"No I'm not. I am perfectly all right. Now leave me alone." Hermione turned away from Harry.

"Hermione, I have been your friend for five years now. You can tell me anything. Now what's wrong?" Harry put his hand on her shoulder, as if to let her know that he would be there for her no matter what.

"Oh Harry!" She turned and sobbed into his sleeve, all the tears that had been holding themselves in bursting out. 

"Did something happen at detention that you didn't tell me and Ron?" Harry said, patting Hermione's back.

"Malfoy. He said something." She managed to say in between sobs. Harry got angry.

"Malfoy?! Malfoy said something to you? What was it? How much can I hurt him?" Harry was really angry now. The nerve of that stuck up git! Once Harry got his hands on him ooo there was going to be hell to pay!

"N-no Harry. Don't do tha-that. You'll get detention and be pun-punished." Hermione was really letting loose the waterworks now. 

"Ok, I won't hunt the little creep down, just tell me what he said." Harry gave her a handkerchief and put is arm around her shoulder.

"Well, he just told me the truth." Hermione had stopped crying by now.

"The truth? Explain to me how Malfoy could know the truth about you."

"Well, he told me that I wasn't really happy. That there's something missing from my life. And that I bury myself in books to try to find out what's missing but I never do. And he's right." Hermione looked down at her lap, suddenly very occupied with Harry's handkerchief. Harry started laughing and Hermione looked up. Why was he laughing? She was telling him something that even she had a hard time admitting to herself and he was laughing. Before she could say a thing though Harry silenced her.

"Hermione? That's it? That's what bugging you?" Hermione was indigent. How dare he treat her problems this way! As if they didn't mean anything! Seeing the look on her face he continued. "Hermione, everybody has something missing from their lives, especially people our age. It's impossible not to avoid it. Malfoy knows that and was just using that knowledge to get to you."

"But why did it get to me like it did?" Hermione asked, partly Harry and partly herself.

"I've been watching you since school started. You've been really tense. You set your expiations for yourself too high. You've put a lot of pressure on yourself and Malfoy just used that to make you crack. You _need_ to relax more Hermione." Harry said matter of factly.

"I suppose so, that does make a lot of sense." Said Hermione.

"Yes of course it does, I'm the one saying it right? And we all know that I'm always right. Which is why me and Ron are going to put you on a strict routine to make you relax." Harry said.

"Oh really now?" Hermione said, arching one brow.

"Yes. From now on until you learn to relax we will control everything you do. Butterbeer and chocolate frogs for meals. Only 5 hours of studying a week. By God Hermione your going to relax, even if you like it or not!" Harry was acting like a drill sergeant. 

"Harry, you know what? You really crack me up sometimes." She said, laughing.

"What? You think I'm joking?" Harry said with a straight face. Seeing the look on her face he couldn't help but laugh. "Honestly Hermione, you have to learn not to take things so seriously. Now lets go get some breakfast, I'm positively starving!" They walked off, out of the common room and to the Great Hall, exchanging jokes along the way.

~*~*~*~*~

Fred and George were up too. They were around the corner from Mr. Filtch's office, whispering quietly.

"Ok, so, lets go over the plan again, just to make sure" Fred said.

"You set off a load of dung bombs down the corridor and while Filtch is cleaning up the mess I go in his office - " 

" - go to the drawer marked _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous – "_

_ _

_" - _and grab everything that I can – "

" - while I distract Mrs. Norris with the meat and milk we got from the kitchens. Ok, got it." Fred pulled out the bag of dungbombs. "Good luck, soldier." 

George nodded, and hid behind the statue. A couple of minutes later he heard an explosion go off, and Mr. Filtch ran by him, cursing aloud. Making sure Filtch was occupied and his cat was nowhere in sight, he head for the office. George quietly opened the door, scanning the room. Seeing the file cabinet in the corner he went right over. Not taking any time to pause, he opened the drawer, and started shoving objects into his satchel. When he thought he got everything important, he closed the drawer and hightailed it out of there. George could hear Filtch coming closer. He quickly ran behind the statue he had hid behind before and waited for him to go by.

"Lousy ruddy kids, messing up my perfectly clean hallways. I'll get them, I'll show them to make fun of me…" Mr. Filtch went on like that all down the corridor and into his office, slamming the door shut. George ran to where he and Fred were suppose to meet, the empty classroom on the other side of the floor.

"Hey." He said breathlessly. 

"Hey, did you get the stuff?" Fred asked.

"Does this answer your question?" George opened his satchel, revealing all the priceless items from the drawer. Fred gasped, then closed the satchel. 

"Quick, lets get out of here. We don't want Filtch to catch us, and we have work to do." Fred said, moving out of the door and down the stairs. George followed. Soon they would begin work on their prank…just as soon as they figured out what's been done before. Checking one last time to see that his satchel was closed so no-one could see inside, he ran off down the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~

And there's another chapter for your enjoyment folks. Like I promised, and I usually keep my promises, I would like to mention and thank the following people for reviewing the first three chapters:


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